Is a Fatboy too much for your first bike?
#71
07-09-2007, 02:30 PM
Road Warrior
RE: Is a Fatboy too much for your first bike?
I went 19 years without a bike, and bought an '05 Ultra in Sept '04. I was a little nervous when I rode off the lot, but that only lasted for about 2 miles. Since then, I've logged 27K on it, and 2.5K on the wife's Deluxe. The Fatboy is well balanced, and fairly low. That helps. TAKE THE SAFETY COURSE... then get the bike of your dreams.
#72
07-09-2007, 03:01 PM
RE: Is a Fatboy too much for your first bike?
It had been 15 years sinceI had ridden a motorcycle.In that 15 years I had and still do a quad for deer hunting. I now have an 06 fatBoy which is awesome. you will be fine just take it easyI had to get use to putting my feet down when I stopped which you dont on a quad. and whenI took my endorsement test the guy laughed and said he could tellI was not use to how heavy it was yet when I stopped. I think I was a little scared of the weight more than hard to handle.
Since I am retired from the army they offer a free course on post I took it. I was the advanced course so only a days worth of riding but it helped with weight problem an my confidence in slow tight turns and trusting the fatboys balance. I have never dropped it but when I stop sometimes I think about the episode of the king of queens when Doug gets a motorcycle and every time he pulls in the garage he uses the frig to stop him. kinda funny!!!
I thought about buying a sportster for beginning but a friend of mine said I would not be happy with anything less than what I wanted. and it would just cost me money in the end.
Good luck post a pic when you get one.
Since I am retired from the army they offer a free course on post I took it. I was the advanced course so only a days worth of riding but it helped with weight problem an my confidence in slow tight turns and trusting the fatboys balance. I have never dropped it but when I stop sometimes I think about the episode of the king of queens when Doug gets a motorcycle and every time he pulls in the garage he uses the frig to stop him. kinda funny!!!
I thought about buying a sportster for beginning but a friend of mine said I would not be happy with anything less than what I wanted. and it would just cost me money in the end.
Good luck post a pic when you get one.
#73
07-09-2007, 04:03 PM
RE: Is a Fatboy too much for your first bike?
ORIGINAL: pgrtag
hello all I'm the guy that started this post a couple weeks ago and I have to say that this is the best written explination for the whole turning thing. I mean in my head I understood it and read about it in the book and had seen it. So it made sense. But to see it written like this, Thanks!!!
Oh by the way, the Fatboy gets delivered on Thursday. It's going to sit in the gararge for a few days till I finish the course. Yeah I know I'm taking a chance that it might be too much bike.
hello all I'm the guy that started this post a couple weeks ago and I have to say that this is the best written explination for the whole turning thing. I mean in my head I understood it and read about it in the book and had seen it. So it made sense. But to see it written like this, Thanks!!!
Oh by the way, the Fatboy gets delivered on Thursday. It's going to sit in the gararge for a few days till I finish the course. Yeah I know I'm taking a chance that it might be too much bike.
Take right off. It may want to wander so let it. If it isn't exactly straight up and down it will turn a little bitas you take off. (Dixie Cups? lol) So just do a cool pro looking shallow S turn as you leave and you'll look cool. Counter steer.
Same with stopping. At a low enough speed you can't keep it well balanced and again it will dixie cup a bit. So bring it right down to a stop and you'll find you have control. If traffic is crawling along, go ahead and let the car in front get a bit of distance and then drive up to it and stop. Don't try to crawl along at 1 mph, OK?
Please don't carry a passenger right away, OK? Notice how high their seat is and all that weight is up there and people do move some. Again it's only a problem at low speeds but just remember you'll be holding their weight up with your legs and feet as you stop. Until you can be cool at it solo, you might dump it. (The passenger might dump you; you won't dump by yourself.)
Your bike and that passenger weigh maybe 800 - 900 pounds not counting you and there's a point where you can't hold it. If the bike starts to tip count on the passenger leaning into the tip to try to put a foot down. But they are way up high! They just make it worse. Once you are comfortable by yourself preach to a passenger to sit very still at low speeds and you'll do fine again.
Remember that you are supposed to do 70 per cent of your braking with the front brake. That's because of weight transfer. The weight dumps onto the front wheel in a stop and the back tire has little traction. By 70 percent I mean you get your rear brake on always but less pressure than the front.
#74
07-09-2007, 04:40 PM
RE: Is a Fatboy too much for your first bike?
ORIGINAL: JBaker421
Some more things? You'll like it better if you start and stop that bike with authority. In other words don't drag along really slowly. It doesn't like to go at a slow walking pace.
Take right off. It may want to wander so let it. If it isn't exactly straight up and down it will turn a little bitas you take off. (Dixie Cups? lol) So just do a cool pro looking shallow S turn as you leave and you'll look cool. Counter steer.
Same with stopping. At a low enough speed you can't keep it well balanced and again it will dixie cup a bit. So bring it right down to a stop and you'll find you have control. If traffic is crawling along, go ahead and let the car in front get a bit of distance and then drive up to it and stop. Don't try to crawl along at 1 mph, OK?
Please don't carry a passenger right away, OK? Notice how high their seat is and all that weight is up there and people do move some. Again it's only a problem at low speeds but just remember you'll be holding their weight up with your legs and feet as you stop. Until you can be cool at it solo, you might dump it. (The passenger might dump you; you won't dump by yourself.)
Your bike and that passenger weigh maybe 800 - 900 pounds not counting you and there's a point where you can't hold it. If the bike starts to tip count on the passenger leaning into the tip to try to put a foot down. But they are way up high! They just make it worse. Once you are comfortable by yourself preach to a passenger to sit very still at low speeds and you'll do fine again.
Remember that you are supposed to do 70 per cent of your braking with the front brake. That's because of weight transfer. The weight dumps onto the front wheel in a stop and the back tire has little traction. By 70 percent I mean you get your rear brake on always but less pressure than the front.
Some more things? You'll like it better if you start and stop that bike with authority. In other words don't drag along really slowly. It doesn't like to go at a slow walking pace.
Take right off. It may want to wander so let it. If it isn't exactly straight up and down it will turn a little bitas you take off. (Dixie Cups? lol) So just do a cool pro looking shallow S turn as you leave and you'll look cool. Counter steer.
Same with stopping. At a low enough speed you can't keep it well balanced and again it will dixie cup a bit. So bring it right down to a stop and you'll find you have control. If traffic is crawling along, go ahead and let the car in front get a bit of distance and then drive up to it and stop. Don't try to crawl along at 1 mph, OK?
Please don't carry a passenger right away, OK? Notice how high their seat is and all that weight is up there and people do move some. Again it's only a problem at low speeds but just remember you'll be holding their weight up with your legs and feet as you stop. Until you can be cool at it solo, you might dump it. (The passenger might dump you; you won't dump by yourself.)
Your bike and that passenger weigh maybe 800 - 900 pounds not counting you and there's a point where you can't hold it. If the bike starts to tip count on the passenger leaning into the tip to try to put a foot down. But they are way up high! They just make it worse. Once you are comfortable by yourself preach to a passenger to sit very still at low speeds and you'll do fine again.
Remember that you are supposed to do 70 per cent of your braking with the front brake. That's because of weight transfer. The weight dumps onto the front wheel in a stop and the back tire has little traction. By 70 percent I mean you get your rear brake on always but less pressure than the front.
#75
07-09-2007, 04:57 PM
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RE: Is a Fatboy too much for your first bike?
I always wanted to ride a bike especialy a Harley but I never ride a bike all my life. Then one day I encourage my son to join me take the MSF course. Two days after I passed it ... me with a 2006 Deluxe and my son a 2005 GSXR 600. I'm 55 years old; 5'5" and weigh 155 lbs and comfortable enough to ride the 700 lbs Deluxe. We use the Buell Blast for the MSF course and it's about half the weight of the Deluxe. I rode my bike around our neighborhood (less traffic) for about a month before I went to the highway. I say go for it and ride safe.
#76
07-10-2007, 03:16 PM
#77
07-10-2007, 03:59 PM
Road Master
RE: Is a Fatboy too much for your first bike?
FLSTFFatboy's have a low seat and center of gravity.You do notneed to bea tall person to rideone. You do need to be rather tall to see over the larger windshield because of the low seat, so plan on a shorter windshield if you are under 6 feet tall.
#78
07-10-2007, 08:14 PM
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RE: Is a Fatboy too much for your first bike?
The last time I road was in Malaysia on a Norton 350cc and that was 40 years ago!. Last year I bought a softail deluxe, after taking the course. Scared me for 6 months but the more (careful) riding i did the more I felt comfortable. Tough decision, I understand, but when I turn the switch, hit run and hear those V and H pipes I just concenrate on defensive riding with a smile on my face.
#79
08-26-2007, 10:35 PM
#80
08-27-2007, 03:12 PM
